WISCONSIN RAPIDS – A black bear caught in Wisconsin Rapids on Wednesday and taken to a remote location for release has a history of getting into bad situations.

The black bear previously had been tagged by U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife specialist Barry Benson. When the bear was tranquilized and taken from Wisconsin Rapids, authorities were able to look up the tag number, said Kris Johanson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management area supervisor.

The bear got its paw caught in a coyote trap near Pray last fall, Johanson said. Although bears are generally too big to get paws caught in a foot trap, the black bear still was young enough that its foot fit. Benson was able to subdue the bear, remove it from the trap and return it to its mother, Johanson said.

A Pray resident spotted the same bear May 26, took a picture of it and sent the photo to Johanson. The bear covered a lot of territory in a few days, Johanson said. It’s common for young bears to get into this kind of trouble at this time of year, Johanson said.

Bear cubs will spend two winters hibernating in their mothers’ dens. After that, the mother bears will force the young bears out on their own, Johanson said.